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The Sehlat is a "teddy bear"-like animal from Vulcan. They do have however large fangs and wild ones are dangerous. Domesticated sehlats are kept as pets especially for Vulcan children. Spock's pet sehlat I-Chaya is mentioned in TOS canon by his mother. It also appears in ST:TAS. A CGI version of a sehlat is shown in Star Trek: Enterprise.

The Fanon Sehlat

Influential Sehlat Fanworks

An article from one zine, Spockanalia #5 published a piece that was both influential and an example of the fourth wall. From Boldly Writing: "Spockanalia 5 [1970] ran an important article, 'Concerning Sehlats' by Lee Burwasser. In this piece, the author looks at precedents in nature to see what sort of animal would have six-inch fangs. The author concludes, 'And so our portrait of the sehlat: a carnivore or just possibly tushed omnivore, general shape that of a giant panda, size on the order of an Alaskan brown bear, highly intelligent, and despite the six-inch fangs, of a patient and gentle disposition.... Question: did the sehlat belong to Spock, or was Spock in the care of the sehlat?' The Star Trek production staff read this article, and animators incorporated many of the suggestions into the drawing of the sehlat I-Chaya in the animated episode, 'Yesteryear'."